2022 Spirit of King Award Ceremony

Earlier today, the 2022 Spirit of King Award Ceremony took place and honored Bernard H. Jones, Sr. and Dr. Sylvester Pace. The ceremony was established in 1989 by The Kingsley Association and Port Authority with the purpose of highlighting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s influence on people and culture. Awards are given out to those that have dedicated their lives to the betterment of others and the community. Those that receive the award also receive a plaque on the memorial wall where their names sits amongst previous winners.

In this year's ceremony, The Kingsley Association's Executive Director, Dexter Hairston, kicked off the event;

"Good morning, and welcome to the 2022 Spirit of King ceremony. My name is Dexter Hairston and I want to thank you for joining us today as we celebrate two Pittsburgh icons, the late Bernard H. Jones, Sr. and the late Dr. Sylvester Pace. Kingsley Association, along with Port Authority of Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh Courier, collaborate each year to honor local trail blazers who have left a lasting legacy on the community by paving the way for others to excel in the areas of arts, law, philanthropy and more. We're celebrating this event virtually for the second year in a row, but the committee looks forward to seeing all of you in person in 2023. Until then, I invite you to relax and enjoy as we begin today's program. Reverend Doctor Jonathon Counts, pastor of Homewood AME Zion Church, will lead us in the opening prayer of invocation. Immediately following will be a welcome address from Mr. Robert Lawson, board president of the Kingsley Association."

Follow the link below to watch the ceremony yourself. The first 35 minutes of the video includes a history of the ceremony and honors past honorees before getting into this year's presentation.